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8 Best Scanner App for Android to Go Completely Digital

In the old days in 2005, when you had to copy notes, you either took them to a photocopier or copied them manually. Of course you could take them to the one person who had a scanner and scan them onto a PC, then print them to make a copy, but that was back when there were great videogames on PS2 and there was no Android platform. Thankfully we do have Android, which allows us to do some very useful tasks without the hassle. With a scanner app for android on your device you will be able to copy notes, save important documents and even copy a full whiteboard. All this can be achieved by a simple click of a virtual button.

Note: The apps in the 10 best scanner app for android list were all tested on a Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone running an Android 4.4 Kit Kat based custom ROM. We scanned a single document using these apps to judge the scan quality equally. Some selective apps were also tested on an Asus MeMoPad 7 HD tablet to ensure tablet compatibility. All the apps performed well.

1. Scan Document – Free

Scan the document

As the name suggest this app lets you scan documents. The interface is kind of plain and doesn’t really blend well but the app does what it says. The best thing about Scan Document is its ability to readily share the scanned documents. We know that scanning some important documents and keeping them on the Android device is a bit risky, and so does this app. With the oddly simple interface and some advanced options, Scan Document is a good performer.

Features:

Send scans instantly.

Preview scanned documents before sending.

Delete the scanned docs after sending.

Notable Feature:

While other apps may allow you to send the scan documents, this app does it really fast. You only have to set the email settings one time and after than you just shoot and send. This feature is very handy if you have to regularly scan and send documents.

2. PDF Document Scanner – Free

PDF is the way to go

Usually when we scan a document it is basically just a processed picture. PDF Document Scanner allows you to convert the scanned document into the professional looking PDF format. This is the best way to preserve those old official documents. Sure it is fun to swift through the paper documents from time to time, maybe look at how bad your high school haircut was but converting them into PC friendly PDF format is the way to go.

Features:

Simple to use interface.

Minimal input maximum output.

Post processing effects to clean up the document.

Notable Feature:

With PDF Document Scanner installed on your Android device, you will have the most professional scanner app for Android. Adobe PDF format is widely used in official businesses and institutes.

3. Droid Scan – Free and $4.49

This is the scanner you are looking for

3.A Free version

Want to make your business paperless? Or save all the medical records online? You can do that with Droid Scan a good scanner app for Android. The app has one of the best interfaces we have tested on a scanner app for Android, the UI actually increases productivity. If you are a student of engineering or practice architecture, you will be well aware of large paper sizes; this app is designed to accommodate those large sizes as well.

Features:

Document size recognition is a neat feature.

Professional looking scans in standard formats.

Built in integration with Box and OneCloud.

Notable Feature:

Droid Scan is compatible with almost all the cloud storage services like Box and Dropbox. The app is also compatible with OCR by Google Goggles and Evernote.

3.B Paid Version

The paid version of the app allows you to do batch processing, PDF creation and Google Drive upload with OCR. There are some more features which are only available in the paid app.

4. FINARX Scan – Free and $2.99

The finer scan

4.A Free Version

The free version of FINARX Scan app is simply a public demo. But that doesn’t mean there are no redeeming features present in the free version. The app has an average interface but we believe it contributes to the speed and reliability of the app. The app is capable of capturing any document and converting it into PDF format, which is a blessing for professionals and students alike. Simply line the camera and snap away.

Features:

Create a PDF document which gives a professional look to the document.

Correcting the perspective bias is very easy.

Save images in the gallery or send them via email.

Upload the documents to cloud storages.

Notable Feature:

You can turn on automatic image cleanup which basically takes care of brightness and contrast. If you want to do some fine tuning, the manual options are also available.

4.B Paid Version

The free version is a limited version of the app which only aims to let you try out the app with limited features. If you want advanced features, you will need to get the paid version of FINARX Scan.

5. Genius Scan – Free and $6.99

What a genius idea

5.A Free Version

Genius Scan is probably the only scanner app for Android which doesn’t hide important features behind a pay wall. Genius Scan is a scanner in your pocket which allows you to scan documents on the go and then send them wherever you want. The app has some great features too, from smart page detecting to perspective correction; the app has some really great technology working for it.

Features:

The app detects page frame and automatically corrects perspective.

The scans can be sent via email.

The scans can either be stored as a JPG image or a PDF file.

PDF documents can be created by stitching multiple images.

Notable Feature:

The app has an enhanced color option which is great for colored images. And there is also a black and white option which works wonders for text-based documents.

5.B Paid Version

The paid version of the app allows you to store scan to cloud based storage services. There is nothing more added in terms of usability and features. If you do not want to store images and scans on any cloud storage, the free app will work perfectly fine.

6. Tiny Scan – Free and $3.99

Small is big

6.A Free Version

Tiny Scan may sound like a tiny app but it actually has a big scope. The app does what we want it to do and it does it in style. The app is extremely simple and easy to use; there are no complicated options to change here. There is a simple scan button which basically takes a picture of the document you want to scan and makes it a PDF file ready to be used. The app has high quality scans and the words are really clear. The app also allows you to export documents in a very manageable way.

Features:

Create PDF documents with only a few taps.

The app detects edges and frames automatically.

Enhancements are applied to make the scans clear and sharp.

Notable Feature:

It is very easy to manage and stack multiple pages in a single document.

6.B Paid Version

As far as we know, there is no difference between the paid version and the free version. We have mailed the developers about the issue and are waiting for the official response. The free app has all the functions and is fully usable and there is no time limit. Purchase the free version if you want to support the very generous developers of this app.

7. docLinker – Free and $1.99

Whats up doc?

7.A Free Version

Looking for a scanner app for Android which covers all the bases? docLinker is the best app for you. While other apps are good scanners, this unique app has some advanced features too. Any app in the list will scan documents for you but not all will allow you to add digital signatures, text and images to documents. This is an amazing app if you like to edit your documents on the fly.

Features:

Sharing documents via twitter and Facebook.

Automatic detection of document edges.

Create, add and delete text and signatures.

Simple drag and drop management system.

Notable Feature:

Not only the app allows you to add signatures to the scanned documents but also allow you to change the color and size of the pen.

7.B Paid Version

Paid version of docLinker allows you to add objects over scanned PDF documents easily. It also allows you to create documents exceeding 2 pages. The free version also watermarks the images. The paid version of the app also removes ads featured in the free app.

8. CamScanner – Free and $0.99

Point, click, scan

8.A Free Version

Simply the best scanner app for Android, CamScanner has a lot going for it. The free version however is not up the mark that is because of the watermarks it put on every scan. Otherwise the app is amazingly designed. From extracting text from images to optimizing scan quality and from digitizing documents quickly to sharing PDF images, this app covers all grounds.

Features:

Point, click, scan is the way to go.

Smart cropping and auto enhancing is included.

Sharing documents is easy.

Notable Feature:

You can secure important documents behind a password. This allows you to keep the important documents on you every time without worrying about them getting on wrong hands.

8.B Paid Version

The paid version of the app removes the annoying watermark which the free version puts on every document. Evernote and SkyDrive uploading feature has no expiration date. The app will be able to do high quality scans. Of course the ads will also be removed from the app.

Conclusion:

The best scanner app for Android is for you to choose, as they all offer something different. If we had to recommend one, we would go with CamScanner paid version. The app has the best interface and combines some of the best features into one convenient package. You might even check out our guide on how to scan with your phone to turn your docs into digital format. If you like any app from the list, feel free to mention the reason in the comments.

I am using Docs Matter, a mobile scanner developed by Yunmai Technology. It enables scanned documents and images to be transformed into searchable and editable document formats. With Docs Matter, all my paper documents are well managed and I can search for them at any time. It also have PC version.

I think most of them scan it to storage, at least temporarily. I use turboscanner (the paid version) and it scans, saves, lets you email, then you can delete it without having to search for it then delete it.

I think that’s about the best you can do. You can try the free version, I can’t remember which features you get with the pro version.